Outdoor Activities

If you can get past the skyscrapers and sidewalks of New York City you may start to see the diverse natural environment we live in. Our city is made up of beaches, forests, marshlands and glacier formations. There are animals everywhere, too, seals in the harbor, red-tailed hawks on Fifth Avenue, raccoons in Central Park and coyotes have recently been spotted lurking around in northern Manhattan and The Bronx. And since we are located on the eastern flyway, our skies are filled with hundreds of different species of birds.  My family is passionate about the natural world around us and so are many other New Yorkers as evidenced by the myriad of nature centers available to us – even in the winter.

Nature centers are a great way to while away a winter’s day and maybe even learn something you didn’t already know about the city. Drop in during their open hours and check out the exhibits that cover animals, plants, history and geography. Or hit one of the many special events or organized group activities going on all winter. The best part is there is no entrance fee to visit (but some centers will accept a donation.) 

Walking around NYC seems to always lead to some adventure or another. One of the things I particularly love is when we stumble upon some cool street art. When we do we always make sure to stop and enjoy it. Last Friday we came across an interactive video art piece which is installed in an empty storefront on Lexington and 33rd St. The kids had a great time playing with it (see video below) and it inspired me to share some other cool public artworks that you might want to check out.

It is way more exciting to see animals in the wild than it is to see them at the zoo. And even here in New York City we are able to glimpse some animals in their natural habitat– and I don’t mean rats, squirrels or pigeons, either. Each fall hundreds of harbor seals start their annual journey from Maine for a warmer climate, traveling south until they reach the temperate waters surrounding Long Island.

There's a brand new ice skating rink in Manhattan this winter. Battery Park City on Ice is located directly across West St from Whole Foods on the Northern edge of Battery Park City West St and Warren to be exact). We stopped by for an afternoon of skating last Monday to check it out.

Read on to learn more about this new skating rink and how you could win skating lessons or a birthday party.

The Parks Department invites New Yorkers to come out to a neighborhood park for some winter fun. White-capped hills around the city are open for sledding, snowman-making and more. Parks & Recreation will provide sleds and hot chocolate at selected locations across the city while supplies last from 11am to 3pm, today, December 20, 2009.

Many of my favorite memories from growing up in NYC involve snow days. The outdoor parking lot on my corner would plow all the snow to one corner of the lot, making our own private sledding hill and we would use garbage can lids or pieces of cardboard to sled down this very short, but very steep hill. We also liked to tunnel in between the parked cars to create forts. Ah, but times have changed. My street urchin days are over and nowadays we use real sleds and real hills to go sledding.

Here are the best places to go sledding in New York City.

New Jersey may not be the first state that comes to mind when you think of ski resorts, but if you’re looking for a family day trip, the handful of New Jersey offerings (plus another just over the Pennsylvania border) will surely please.  Whether you snowtube, ski or snowboard, load up the SUV and head out–we promise the kids will sleep well after a day on the slopes!   

I'll never forget the year I tried to do an ice skating birthday party on the cheap by taking a bunch of kids to the ice skating rink at Bryant Park and then herdlng them over to a diner afterward for dessert. How did it go? Let's just say if I had known we could have a regular ice skating party for under $250 I probably wouldn't have this nervous tic whenever I hear a zamboni.

Read on for the real deals on ice skating parties all over New York City. We've even dug up all the hidden fees you might not have calculated in so you can truly compare the costs:

We've written about Fall Farms, Pumpkin Farms, Pick Your Own Apple Farms, Spring and Summer Berry Farms, and even Christmas Tree Farms out here on Long Island. But what about the Turkey? Whether you just want to pay homage to your Thanksgiving feast or pick up a fresh, local or even organic turkey, Long Island has many poultry farms where you can get up close (or snap a photo from far away) with Thanksgiving's most popular mascot. Stop by and say hi, or for you serious locavores, pick up a fresh local turkey to eat and save yourself a trip to the frozen foods isle. Here are some of the local farms to check out:

There are lots of places to go ice skating in New York if you don't mind waiting on long lines or skating shoulder to shoulder with rowdy teenagers. We've picked out the best indoor and outdoor ice skating rinks in New York City where you can avoid the lines and the crowds (at least some of the time). All of these places offer ice skating lessons and ice skating birthday parties and almost all of them even offer hockey. Check each website link for additional information.